Over the coming weeks, players will crisscross the country working out for teams, displaying their talents and trying to show how they fill a roster hole ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft.
But before that gets into full swing, we can go by what scouts and front-office types have been saying about those players, independent of workouts and team needs. That’s the spirit behind player rankings, and we’ve got a look at the top 50 players heading into the draft process.
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NBA Draft prospect rankings: Big board of top 50 players
1. Zion Williamson, F, Duke
We know who No. 1 is. Sure, there are questions about whether Williamson has a pure position in the NBA and whether he’ll develop as an NBA shooter. But his combination of speed, athleticism and power makes him the sureshot No. 1.
2. Ja Morant, G, Murray State
3. Jarrett Culver, G, Texas Tech
4. RJ Barrett, G, Duke
5. De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia
6. Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas
Scouts expect that, even though this draft is heavy in the first couple of spots, there should be solid players available in the back half of the top 10. One of the most intriguing will be Hayes, a potentially stifling rim-protector — he averaged 2.2 blocks in 23.3 minutes — who has good footwork in the paint and can be a capable offensive player.
Of course, the guy most will be watching during workouts this spring will be Cam Reddish, who disappointed in his one year at Duke but can revive his stock as a top-five player with good workouts.
7. Coby White, PG/SG, North Carolina
8. Cam Reddish, G/F, Duke
9. Romeo Langford, G/F, Indiana
10. PJ Washington, C, Kentucky
11. Bol Bol, C, Oregon
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Players who missed the bulk of this season with injuries will be a significant part of this draft, and Bol, who might have been a top-five pick without a worrisome foot injury, will likely be the first injured player off the board. It’s possible, too, that Darius Garland will go ahead of him, because the draft lacks point guards after Morant. Jontay Porter of Missouri and Chuma Okeke of Auburn could also be first-rounders despite dealing with significant injuries.
For this group of players, medical exams could make the difference between draft-day joy and second-round disappointment.
12. Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
13. Sekou Doumbouya, PF/C, France
14. Keldon Johnson, G, Kentucky
15. Kevin Porter Jr., G, USC
16. Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
Upperclassman is a dirty word when it comes to the NBA Draft, but a pair of Gonzaga juniors will do their best to put that aside and land in the top 20. Hachimura is still only 21, so he might get a pass for playing three seasons with the Bulldogs. Brandon Clarke has a more difficult sell. His versatility makes him a good fit in today’s NBA, but he will be 23 when he starts his rookie season.
Tennessee’s Grant Williams is also a junior, but he won’t be 21 until November.
17. Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Gonzaga
18. MIfondu Kabengele, C, Florida State
19. Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia
20. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G, Virginia Tech
21. Nassir Little, F, North Carolina
22. Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky
23. Grant Williams, PF, Tennessee
24. Talen Horton-Tucker, SF, Iowa State
In a spotty draft like this one, measurements will play a bigger role than usual. And Horton-Tucker, who was so-so during his freshman year at Iowa State, could come out of Chicago with the kind of measurements that make front office execs drool.
Horton-Tucker is a shooting guard who did not shoot well this season, but he is listed at 6-4 and has a wingspan of 7-1 — though he might have grown in both height and arm length. His potential as a long, versatile perimeter defender could nudge him up into the top 20.
25. Chuma Okeke, F, Auburn
26. Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland
27. KZ Okpala, F, Stanford
28. Cameron Johnson, F, North Carolina
29. Daniel Gafford, C, Arkansas
There isn’t much room in today’s NBA for standard-issue, back-to-the-basket big men, and that could hurt Gafford and Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, who could yet return to school. Both have a shot at the first round, but only if teams can envision them defending pick-and-rolls and eventually moving their games out of the low post.
30. Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky
31. Ignas Brazdeikis, G/F, Michigan
32. Jontay Porter, C, Missouri
33. Carsen Edwards, G, Purdue
Steal alerts! The high 30s are very often a place where pretty good college players who don’t have a defined NBA role land. Edwards was terrific for Purdue this year, but he is undersized and will have trouble breaking into the first round. Still, he reminds some scouts of Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, who slipped to the second round last year but played well for the Mavericks.
Jordan Nwora, who averaged 17.0 points in his sophomore season and has experience with the Nigerian national team, is another potential steal early in the second round.
34. Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville
35. Ty Jerome, G, Virginia
36. Admiral Schofield, F, Tennessee
37. Eric Paschall, F, Villanova
38. Naz Reid, C, LSU
39. Brian Bowen, F, USA
40. Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State
Teams picking late in the first round could take chances on two players who project to be mostly well-built defensive guys with mediocre offensive potential. Dort has some know-how for using his big frame to help him score, but while he averaged 16.1 points last season, he shot 40.5 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from the 3-point line. He can be inconsistent defensively, but his body gives scouts hope that he can develop into a top-tier defender, even if is shot is never better than average.
A more distinct defense-first guy: Matisse Thybulle of Washington. He’s a 6-5 senior wing who averaged 3.5 steals and 2.2 blocks this season, scoring just 9.1 points per game and making only 30.5 percent of his 3-pointers. If he could be even a league-average shooter, he would be an excellent 3-and-D prospect.
41. Matisse Thybulle, F, Washington
42. Luka Samanic, F, Croatia
43. Dylan Windler, F, Belmont
44. Jalen McDaniels, F, San Diego State
45. Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John’s
46. Isaiah Roby, F, Nebraska
47. Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas
48. Deividas Sirvydis, F, Lithuania
49. Tyler Cook, F, Iowa
50. Aubrey Dawkins, G, Central Florida